Hunter Hunted
by Shergar
Summary: It was a nice easy job. Escort a witness in a high profile case to a safe house. Funny how things are seldom that straight forward.
1. Chapter 1

Hunter Hunted

"If we're clear on all the details, then I'll meet you at the safe house later this afternoon," Steve McGarrett concluded.

"Yeah, I need to get moving or I'll miss my flight," Danny Williams replied. He rose to his feet and shrugged into his suit jacket. "If the flight is delayed, I'll phone you, but other than that, I'll see you at the safe house." Danny tucked the airline tickets Steve gave him into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"Be careful," Steve warned him lightly.

"I will be," Danny assured him seriously. He offered a fleeting smile before leaving the big office. Steve could hear him offering farewells to the rest of the Five-O staff.

Slipping into his own suit jacket, Steve picked up a file from the desk. While Danny flew to the Big Island to meet a witness and escort her back to Honolulu, Steve had to meet with Walter Stuart, the Attorney General, in connection with the same case. The day after tomorrow, the 'trial of the year' as the newspapers were calling it was due to begin. Edwin Haliburton, property developer, pineapple grower and processor, multi-millionaire, member of Hawaii's society elite and close friend of the Governor, was standing trial accused of fraud, intimidation and attempted murder. Edwin was pleading his innocence in all the newspapers and his well-known generosity towards multiple charities tended to sway the general public to his side.

Chief witness against him was his stepdaughter, Melissa Glendinning. She had seen her stepfather shoot one of his rivals, a small-time property developer called Andrew Jones. Haliburton had offered to buy Jones out of his business and when Jones refused, Haliburton had embarked on a campaign of intimidation that had culminated in Jones' shooting. Jones was still in hospital in a coma. He was not expected to recover from the gunshot wound to the head.

To say Melissa was a reluctant witness was putting it mildly. She had never been particularly close to her stepfather, but they had not been at each other's throats and she had been happy enough to accept a generous allowance from him. Melissa didn't care about anything very much apart from herself, but attempted murder was beyond the pale, even for her. She contacted the police and only afterwards realised the danger she was now in. She had hidden in various luxurious spots on the mainland where many disgruntled police forces had agreed to keep an eye on her to make sure no one bumped her off. No one really thought Haliburton would try anything on the mainland, but now that she was back for the trial, Steve was taking no chances. Danny was due on the Big Island to meet her flight from the mainland and to escort her to a safe house on Oahu.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The flight to the Big Island was uneventful and Danny thought it was entirely possible – even likely – that he would return to Honolulu on the same plane. He made his way into the terminal and identified himself to security. Within a very short time, he was waiting on the tarmac as Melissa's plane came in to land.

The airline was very efficient was Melissa was spirited off the plane and her luggage – five suitcases – retrieved from the hold. They were taken straight across to the plane for Honolulu and seated before the other passengers boarded. By then, there was one thing Danny was utterly sure of – he did not like Melissa.

The term 'public servant' had never bothered Danny, but never before had he known it to mean that he was reduced to being a glorified skivvy. However, that was what Melissa appeared to think he was, demanding that he should carry her cabin luggage for her and reminding him that her taxes paid his wages.

"Detective Danny Williams," he said as they met, extending his hand politely.

For a very long moment, Melissa had looked disdainfully at his hand before she glanced up to meet the steady blue eyes. Danny had been snubbed before and determinedly did not let his discomfort show. After another interminable pause, Melissa put her hand in his to be shaken, but her hand remained completely rigid.

"Get my bags, Williams," she ordered, handing him her stubs and began to walk away.

"Miss Glendinning." Danny put his hand on her arm to stop her. Melissa looked down with the kind of expression that Danny associated with being the victim of bird droppings. "You must stay close to me for you own safety," he said, not removing his hand at once.

"Very well," she sighed, but her tone ably implied that she thought he was being unnecessarily cautious.

By the time they were on the plane, Danny's stoic mask was so firmly in place that he wondered if he would ever be able to smile again. His jaw was beginning to ache from being so tightly clenched. He guided his ward up the plane to the back seats and indicated that she sit by the window.

"I don't want to sit by the window," Melissa announced. "Or sit at the back of the plane." It was clear she had never sat anywhere but first class.

"It's for your own safety, Miss Glendinning. I'm afraid it's non-negotiable." Danny was perfectly patient and polite, but he wondered how long he would be able to keep his temper in the face of such determined rudeness for the next 24 hours or so. At least there would be someone else around during the night to give him a break. He kept his expression neutral while he waited for Melissa to take her seat. His posture informed her that he was not going to back down.

With a very bad grace, Melissa gave in. Danny carefully kept any triumph he was feeling off his face as he sat down next to her for the short flight home.

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The LTD was brought to the front of the airport for them and Danny loaded the bags into the trunk while Melissa looked down her nose at the company car. Danny ignored the unspoken remark; he was on duty, looking after her. What did she think he would be driving? A limousine? His one small overnight bag looked shabby compared to her sleek luggage which doubtless bore some sort of designer label, should he care to look for it, which he didn't.

The prickles of alarm started as they drove out of the airport and on to the main road. There was a car sitting a short distance behind them. Sometimes there was one car between them and sometimes there were two, but that car remained in his rear view mirror. Of course, they could simply be heading in to Honolulu by the same road and Danny was over reacting, but something told him they were being followed.

How did they know? That was the question that had Danny worried. Melissa had not been flying under her own name from the Big Island. Dan supposed that whoever it was could have been watching the flight schedules for the name of a Five-O cop flying out and back, but the airlines would have reported something like that to them. Nobody else knew that Melissa was flying back in that day, not even her mother. Danny felt a cold finger edge down his spine. Was there a leak at the Five-O offices? If so – who?

Keeping his eye on the suspect car, Danny decided to take a detour to their safe house – one that would take them on a roundabout route and prove to Danny that they were being followed. He made the first turn and sure enough, the other car followed. At the next junction, Danny turned and then turned again, doubling back on himself. The faithful tail remained in place. Danny was seriously concerned now. He glanced at the radio, which was currently switched off, and wondered if he should risk contacting Steve on it. He decided against the move. If there was someone at Five-O who was the leak, they could hear the radio broadcasts without a problem, since the radio was in the outer office.

He had other concerns, too. If there was a leak, then the safe house would be safe no longer. He could not take Melissa there, but where else could they go? His apartment was out, as was Steve's. He couldn't put Chin's family at risk and Kono's place was not big enough to accommodate a cat, never mind two other adults. He turned back towards the more populous parts of Honolulu, judging that they were less at risk there than on the quieter roads.

It seemed, however, that his tail guessed what he was doing, for the car behind speeded up. "Get down!" Danny yelled, as he mashed the accelerator to the floor. He reached over and pushed Melissa down. He swerved wildly to avoid being rammed and a moment later, the back windshield exploded as a bullet sang through the car, exiting through the front windshield and shattering it, too. Instinctively, Danny ducked and almost lost control of the car. However, he shook the glass fragments off and glanced around. Braking suddenly, he swerved into a side road and down into the busier parts of town. Taking a sharp left, he pulled into the parking area of a shopping mall and slid into a parking space. "Let's go!" he urged Melissa.

"My luggage!" she protested as Danny yanked her from the car.

"Forget it!" he snapped. He kept a tight grip on her arm as they hurried into the mall. Danny led her to a bank of phones and quickly dialled Steve's private office number.

"McGarrett."

"Steve, its Dan. We're being followed. I've had to abandon the car and we're on foot. I think there's a leak at the office. I'll contact you again as soon as I can, but forget the safe house. We've got to go."

"Danno! Wait!" Steve couldn't believe when he heard the click indicating Danny had hung up. A leak at the office? Who could it be? Frowning, Steve looked at the phone receiver in his hand. Slowly, he unscrewed the mouthpiece. There didn't appear to be anything in it that there shouldn't be. He took his pocket knife and prised off the earpiece. So far, the phone checked out. Of course, that did not mean there was not a tap on the line or that the office itself was not bugged. Thoroughly alarmed, Steve headed out to find Che Fong and get the forensics chief to sweep the office and sort out the leak. Perhaps then he could concentrate on finding Danno.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are we going?" Melissa sounded annoyed as Danny all but dragged her through the tourists that thronged the mall.

"I don't know yet," Danny replied. He kept half an eye over his shoulder, but so far had not spotted anyone he thought might be a threat. The problem was he didn't know who to look out for. The driver of the car was a complete mystery to the young detective.

"I thought I was going to a safe house." Melissa stopped walking and yanked her arm from Danny's grasp. "I'm not going any further until you tell me what is going on!"

"Haven't you worked it out for yourself?" Danny snapped. "Someone just tried to kill you back there on the road. I don't know how, but it looks as though your stepfather has found out that you are back and is taking steps to make sure that you don't testify against him."

Paling, Melissa took a step back. "I thought…" she stuttered, but Danny privately believed that thought was something that Melissa seldom allowed to clutter her mind.

"I'll keep you safe," he vowed.

"I won't testify," she quavered. "I'll phone Edwin and tell him that. Then this will be all over."

Exasperation allowed a snort to escape Danny's control. Was she really that naïve? "He won't believe you," Danny explained. "He'll think it's a trick. You have no choice right now; you have to stick with me. I'll make sure you are safe." He glanced around, trying to think of somewhere safe they could go. A hotel was out; it was all too easy to bribe a staff member to report a young couple booking in at the last minute. They would just have to keep moving and hope that when he contacted Steve later, the boss had figured out where the leak had come from. If the worst came to the worst, he would take her down to HPD lock-up. Surely they would be safe there?

Glancing at his watch, Danny decided they ought to take the chance to eat something while they could. The mall was safe for the moment; there were too many people around for whoever was tailing them to make a move, but in a couple of hours, the shoppers would start to disperse and they would become vulnerable once more. Danny led Melissa into a café and insisted she order something. Food would help to calm her down somewhat and hopefully give him a chance to think. There had to be somewhere they could go where they would be safe.

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It was completely frustrating to try and pretend that there was nothing wrong when the chief of forensics was scouring your office for bugs, yet that was exactly what Steve was doing. He had briefed Che outside and warned him to be as discreet and careful as he could be. Che had gone to get the equipment he needed and had followed Steve back to the office. Now, while Steve paced impatiently, he checked the phone line, the phone, the intercom and finally all around the walls of the office.

The first bug was found behind a painting near the door. The second was in the overhead light. The third was on the desk lamp and a fourth was nestled in the window blinds. As Che picked them up one by one, Steve was incandescent with rage. Someone had bugged his office! He resisted the urge to throw things and instead forced himself to think coolly.

In reality, there were probably a lot of people out there who had a reason for bugging the office, but the person at the top of the list was Edwin Haliburton. That had to be how he knew Melissa was back. The only place any of the details of this case had been discussed was in this office. The bug on the lamp would have picked up the phone calls he made and received. Danno was right! The safe house was bound to be compromised. He had to try and find them another safe house, but he had no idea when Danny would phone back, so he had to get moving.

"Che, can I?" McGarrett gestured towards the phone.

"Not yet," Che replied. "I need to do some more checking on the line outside first."

His frustration was such that Steve had to actively clench his fists to stop himself verbally lashing out at the small Oriental man who was working so methodically. This was a job that could not be rushed if it was to be done properly and it was imperative that it was done correctly. There could be no further leaks.

"All right." Steve decided that his next best bet was to go to the courthouse or to the governor's offices and use their phones, but if his offices were bugged, might not theirs be too? He voiced this thought and Che nodded.

"I'll get right on it as soon as I finish here," he agreed. "I need to sweep the whole place first though." He looked at Steve. "This is connected to a case, right?" When he collected a nod, he added, "Might HPD be contaminated too?"

That thought hadn't occurred to McGarrett, but he conceded that it was indeed possible. Haliburton had to cover all bases. While Five-O was in charge of this case, they did regularly make use of HPD officers to take up any shortfall in manpower. "It could be," he agreed.

Sweeping out of the office, Steve stopped by May's desk. "May, love, I need to speak with you outside," he told her and helped the surprised secretary to her feet. As he passed the empty cubicles where his detectives worked, he wished that Chin and Kono were there, instead of miles away guarding a useless safe house. He could not contact them to return until he was sure that all the bugs were eliminated.

"What's wrong, Steve?" May asked as soon as they were outside the Palace.

"The offices are bugged," Steve explained. "May, has anyone been in doing work in the offices recently?"

"Nobody that you wouldn't expect," May replied after a moment's thought. "We haven't had any break downs lately; no new equipment." She pondered a moment longer. "No, boss, not that I can think of."

"So who does that leave us with?" Steve mused aloud.

"The cleaning staff," May replied. "But I don't usually see them. They don't start until after I've finished. You might come across them on those all-night sessions you pull." The jibe was half-teasing, half-serious. There had been occasions when she had come in and found Steve and Danny still hard at it, and neither of them had gone home.

"I only see them sometimes," Steve replied absently. His mind was working overtime. "I assume these people are vetted?"

"Yes, they are," she agreed. "I've got a list of their names in the office. Do you want it?"

"Yes," Steve replied, although May already knew the answer. "And I want to check with the night security guards that nobody new appeared on the crew lately." He glanced at his watch and saw it was late afternoon. Time didn't have much meaning to him, apart from the fact it was against him and with the phones still being suspect, it was going to take longer to do everything that he needed to do. "What time do they start?"

"Not until 7pm, boss," May replied. She looked up at him. "Is Danny all right?" she asked, sensing the biggest worry that her boss had right now.

"I hope so," Steve replied. "I hope so."


	3. Chapter 3

The mall was starting to empty. They couldn't hide there for much longer. Danny glanced at his watch and estimated that another half hour would leave them vulnerable and he decided that they had to move now. The big question was where could they go? Somewhere with a lot of people was the obvious answer, but where? The answer came to him as he looked up – a movie theatre!

It didn't matter what film was on. Without telling Melissa what he had in mind, he led her out of the mall and a block or two down the road to the nearest theatre. He was glad that she had travelled in flat shoes, because high heeled pumps would have made his life a misery. Melissa was already complaining that her feet hurt from all the walking.

There was a show just starting – some chic-flick thing Danny had never heard of – but it would do. He quickly bought tickets and urged Melissa into a back row corner seat. She complained, but he was already learning to tune out her complaints. They were legion and covered almost everything they had done so far today and he was top of her list. The movie began, but Dan saw none of it.

If there was a leak at Five-O, there was always a possibility that there was a similar leak at HPD. Perhaps going there was not an option, as he had first thought. Contacting one officer would inevitably mean that anyone with a police scanner would soon know that he was in trouble and they would instantly become targets again. He had to take Melissa somewhere that nobody would expect. Danny sighed. He had already ruled out his apartment, Steve's apartment, Chin's house and Kono's place. Where did that leave them?

The movie was almost over when the idea came to him. One of Danny's surfer buddies had a beach hut on the North Shore. Danny had an open invitation to use it whenever he wanted. Dave was on the mainland, so he wouldn't be using it and Danny knew where the key was. Getting to the North Shore was slightly more problematical. Hiring a car was out – Danny had to assume that Haliburton had bought people in the service industries like that and like the hotels. Walking there was doable, but impractical. Borrowing a car would be perfect, but who could he borrow from? He shook his head. There was only one answer; they would have to get a bus.

As they left the theatre, Danny scanned the people milling about. It was dark now and the nightlife of Honolulu was getting underway. People now were no help to them. There were too many drunks who might be assassins. Danny had to get Melissa to safety now.

All of a sudden, Danny saw a man through a gap in the crowds. The intensity of his gaze as he looked at the young couple alerted the detective to trouble and as the man began to move, Danny grabbed Melissa's hand and hurried in the opposite direction.

"Williams! Let go of me!" Melissa was fighting him. She was tired, hungry and scared and she had had enough.

"If you want to die on this street, I'll cheerfully leave you behind," Danny hissed. "If not, follow me." He didn't let go of her hand.

Rounding a corner, Danny saw the answer to his prayers. Just up ahead, a patrol car was pulled over at the side of the road and the cop was out of the vehicle, standing a few feet away, talking to a youth. Danny didn't recognise the cop, but he didn't give the man a second glance, either. Smoothly, he pushed Melissa into the car, sliding in behind the wheel and gunning the engine. A shot pinged off the wing of the car, causing the crowds to duck and scream. Danny risked a single glance in the rear view mirror and saw that not only was the cop firing at him, the man he had spotted was jumping into a car and chasing him!

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all,_ Danny thought as he flipped on the lights and sirens and floored the accelerator.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

"Steve, HPD reported finding Danny's LTD in a parking lot. The front and rear windows are shot out and the car is slightly damaged from a collision, too," Chin reported anxiously. "No blood in the car, but no sign of Danny, either."

"I'll be right there!" Steve replied, mentally noting the address. His phone was now safe for use, which was a relief, but hours had gone past since Danny called and it was now dark and there had been no further word from his detective.

Driving through the evening traffic, Steve listened vaguely to the chatter on the police radio. He came to sharp attention when he heard the report of a stolen squad car. His heart leapt and he knew – just knew – that it had to be Danny. He snatched up the mic. "This is McGarrett. Danny, let me know if you are both all right."

It was a long shot, and he had to admit it. It could just be some punk who had stolen the squad car, but it was such an unusual occurrence that Steve's mind made the connection and refused to let go of it. His faith was rewarded a moment later.

"Steve, its Danny. We're fine."

No more than that, but Steve could not blame his friend. While he wanted nothing more than to have Danny and Melissa under his own watchful gaze, he at least knew they were all right. He was too far away to run an intercept without explicit directions from Danny and he knew that those would not be forthcoming. Che had not given Steve the all clear about HPD and although Danny didn't know that, he would have guessed that there might be a problem with HPD as well as Five-O. If there was a leak at Five-O, there could be a corresponding leak at HPD. Danny was playing it cautiously.

Turning into the parking lot, Steve was relieved that Danny was all right for the moment, but he wasn't going to stop worrying until he saw his friend, alive and well, bringing Melissa into the court room to testify.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hearing Steve's voice bolstered Danny's courage. He had flipped off the lights and siren as they cleared Honolulu, but he knew they would have to ditch the squad car as soon as possible. It was too visible; too big a target. He could only hope that when he decided to make his move, he would know the island better than the men chasing them.

Up ahead, there was a turn-off leading down to a secluded beach. Danny flipped the headlights on full beam for a moment, then killed the lights completely. He yanked the wheel round and felt the change from asphalt to dirt beneath the tires. Danny braked fiercely and hauled the car round into a small parking bay. He killed the engine and reached for Melissa's hand again. "We've got to go," he urged her.

For the first time since he met the girl a few short hours before, Melissa had lost her arrogance. She looked scared and Danny could not blame her. What had seemed very easy had become a complete nightmare and now this mad cop who was protecting her looked as though he was going to drag her onto a dark beach while someone was chasing them and trying to kill her. No, Danny did not blame her for feeling scared. He felt the same way.

The beauty of this stretch of beach was the number of sand dunes. They provided a great place for children to play hide and seek and Danny hoped to emulate those children.

Above them, on the road, Danny heard the screech of brakes as their pursuer missed the turn. A quick smile crossed his face. He had managed to outwit them for a moment. Panting, he slowed slightly as he felt Melissa tiring from the uncertain footing. They had to find somewhere to hide.

It seemed to take forever, but was no more than a few minutes, before Danny found the spot he was looking for. In one particular place in the dunes, the sand was curled around, providing an almost perfect hiding place. Danny pushed Melissa into the deepest part of the curl and crouched by her side, drawing his gun.

His eyes were rapidly getting used to the moonlight and he could see a couple of dark shapes moving against the starlit sky. They weren't coming anywhere near them and Danny was not going to risk shooting in this kind of light for several reasons. First and foremost, he did not want to alert these men to their position. Second, he did not want to gun them down in cold blood and third, he was not sure how Melissa would react to any shooting and she was his top priority.

"Williams…" she whispered and the sound carried on the still night air.

Instantly, the men turned in their direction. Danny leaned in, gently covering Melissa's mouth to prevent her saying anything else. He could see the liquid gleam of her eyes as he leaned over her, waiting to feel the bullet in his back, knowing that because of her, their luck had run out. They were going to die on this beach and Steve would find their bodies in the morning. He ached for his friend's grief and regretted that he had let Steve down.

The sand crunched as the men drew closer.


	4. Chapter 4

The LTD was a mess. It seemed to be a miracle that Danny and Melissa had not been hurt by the bullets, but Steve was all for taking miracles when they were offered to him. He left Chin supervising the lab boys who were working on the car and asked his detective to make sure it was towed away for repairs. He headed into the mall and before very long, questioning shop owners and showing a photo of Danny, he had a good picture of how Danny had evaded whoever was chasing them. Unfortunately, it showed how easy it would have been for the pursuers to also find out where Danny and Melissa had been and to keep a close eye on them.

The movie theatre had been inspired, Steve thought. They would be safe there and able to rest unseen. Picking out two people on a busy afternoon was difficult even when both parties were expecting to meet up and next to impossible otherwise.

The cop who had had his squad 'appropriated' was still waiting on the street for Steve to talk to him. The cop was young and new to the job. He was furious that his car had been taken from right under his nose and despite Steve explaining - as a responding officer had already done – that Danny was a cop too, this rookie still seemed to think it was some sort of prank. Steve's questioning of him hadn't produced anything useful. Adams, the rookie, had not noticed Danny until he was already in the car and pulling away and he hadn't noticed any car following behind. He had shot at his own vehicle (Steve rolled his eyes), but with no noticeable results. Exchanging glances with the responding officer, a sergeant of middle years that Steve knew well by sight, if not by name, the Five-O boss thought this rookie didn't have a long or respectable career in the force ahead of him.

They had to issue an APB for the missing squad car, despite Steve's misgivings. He didn't for a minute think that Danny would keep the car – it was far too noticeable – but when they found it, its location would give Steve an inkling of where they might have gone or be heading. He returned to the Mercury to wait for the call that the squad car had been found.

There, he found Chin waiting for him. "Boss, Kono's been trying to get hold of you," the Oriental detective told him. "He was checking on our evening cleaning crew. One of the guys was out sick, and the guy who was brought in to replace him wasn't given a background check. He's now disappeared."

"What's his name?" Steve demanded, bristling with indignation. "Who provides the crew for cleaning the Palace?"

"The guy's name is Adam Sanderson," Chin replied. "We've got an address up in the university district and Kono is checking it out now, but how could a cleaner afford a house up there?" he added. "HPD is running a check on Sanderson now. Our cleaning crews are provided by Aloha Cleaning Services. They won the contract on the last round of bidding about six months ago."

"I need to know who owns Aloha Cleaning Services," Steve declared. "Look into who gave them clearance. We need to find this guy Sanderson, too. Issue an APB on him. I assume we have a description?"

"Yeah, boss," Chin replied and checked his notebook. "About 6ft tall, blond hair and green eyes." Flipping the book closed, Chin met Steve's eyes. "We're looking into his background now."

"Good." Steve was certain that this man was the person who had placed the bugs in his office and at the Palace. He was pretty sure that they would find that he worked for Haliburton. There would probably be a connection between Haliburton and Aloha Cleaning Services if they looked hard enough. Steve vowed to have a closer look at whoever handed out the cleaning contracts. Allowing people to work in a sensitive area like the state police offices without proper background checks smacked of negligence at best and corruption at worst.

The radio in his car squawked out his name and Steve bent in to retrieve the mic. "Yes, Kono."

"Boss, I was right; da man don't live here. The people who do have never heard of this Sanderson dude." Kono was annoyed that he had been unable to locate Sanderson at the address they had been given for him, but not surprised. "Any word on da kaikaina?"

"No, nothing so far," Steve reported. "We're looking for the patrol car now." He didn't want to say any more on the air, because he had yet to hear from Che Fong that HPD was not bugged. "We'll meet you back at the Palace."

"10-4, boss," Kono agreed.

For another long moment, Steve sat half-in and half-out of his car, hoping that he would get a call to say they had found the squad car and Danny and Melissa were safe, but the radio remained silent on that particular subject and Steve finally swung his legs into the car and headed back to the Palace.

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As the men drew ever closer, Danny tightened his grip on his gun. He would have no option but to use it, but with at least two men chasing them, the odds were against him, even though they were not sure exactly where he was hidden. Melissa was trembling and her iron grip on his left arm would not help his aim. Danny was a great shot, but Melissa added an unknown factor.

Suddenly, on the road above them, there came the sound of a siren. Melissa's grip tightened painfully on his arm and Danny vaguely thought there would be bruises there in a day or so. The men looking for them paused and then turned away. The siren cut out and Danny heard a door bang. "It's me!" shouted an unidentified voice, and although it wasn't familiar to Danny, it appeared to be to the men hunting for them. "Have you got them?"

"No, but we've got to be close," replied one of the men.

Their little curl of sand was no longer the place to be hiding. Danny knew that he had to take this opportunity to get them away from here. He just hoped Melissa was able to function, because there was no way he could carry her and still keep her safe. He holstered his gun and leaned in close. "We've got to go," he barely breathed.

It was impossible to be sure in the uncertain lighting, but he thought that Melissa's face was tear-stained. She nodded, though and Danny drew her carefully to her feet, checking for signs of the men before leading her deeper into the dunes. He could hear the voices behind them and felt physically sick that one of them looking for them appeared to be a cop. How could he betray one of his own like that? Danny wanted to rush back and confront whoever it was, demand to know how they could do this, but he knew that he would have to wait and try and figure out who it was once he had Melissa safely at the courthouse.

It was tiring walking in the shifting sands and the need for silence and keeping as low as possible made it even harder. Danny found himself tiring quickly and he was in top physical shape. Melissa was slender enough, but it appeared that she wasn't that fit, for she was soon gasping and panting and making a lot more noise than Danny was happy with. They would have to stop to rest again.

Urging her to sit, Danny crouched beside her, scanning the dunes. He could still vaguely hear the men's voices, but they were a bit further off. He kept watch for them as he thought about where they could go now. His friend's shack was out of the question. There was probably a beach shelter somewhere close by, but it would offer little in the way of a defensible position should the men track them there and with the tracks they were leaving in the sand, that was entirely possible.

It came to him in a blinding flash and Danny wondered why he hadn't thought of this before. The caves! They were almost a mile from where he and Melissa currently were and reaching them would involve wading through the incoming tide, but the plus side of that was that the water would wash away their tracks. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

"Take off your shoes and roll up your pants legs," he urged in a whisper.

"What?" Melissa sounded as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you mad?"

Stripping off his own shoes and regretfully deciding that he would have to abandon them, Danny replied, "No. but it's up to you. If you want to get your shoes soaked, carry on wearing them, but to get to safety, we have to walk through the water. Of course, you could always stay here and let these guys murder you."

"You wouldn't leave me behind," Melissa objected, but she didn't sound too sure of that.

"Wouldn't I?" Danny asked, callously, but he knew that the answer was that he couldn't leave her behind. He was sworn to keep her safe and the only way he would stop doing that was if he was killed. Melissa had yet to grasp this idea and she quickly stripped off her shoes and shoved them into the large purse she insisted on dragging everywhere with her.

It was easier to walk in the shifting sands barefoot, which was good, as they had a way to go before they took to the water. Danny knew they would be more visible against the ocean, but hoped that they would have gained enough ground on their pursuers for that not to matter. Still, when the time came that they had to leave the relative safety of the dunes, he spent quite a bit of time peering through the darkness before he finally led Melissa out to the water.


	5. Chapter 5

"Steve." Chin popped his head around the office door and assessed the Five-O chief as he straightened from where he had been leaning on the wall looking out of the window. As Chin had expected, Steve looked tired and worried. Chin knew how he felt. "They've found the squad car."

"Where?" Steve demanded. "Have they found Danno?"

"No, boss," replied Chin regretfully. He saw McGarrett wince. "It was parked on the slip-road to Dune Beach." That particular stretch of beach had no official name as far as Chin knew, but McGarrett would recognise the nickname. "There was a bullet ding on the back driver's side wing, but no signs of blood or foul play. It looks like Danny meant to leave it there."

In his mind's eye, Steve pictured the beach. He wasn't particularly familiar with it – beaches were Danno's territory – but he knew where it was. What was there that Danny decided to abandon the squad car and go on foot? He could think of nothing, but just because he didn't know didn't mean anything. "Who found the car?" he asked.

"Sergeant 'Tank' Mashito," Chin replied. He thought he managed to keep the distaste he felt off his face and out of his voice, but Steve caught the emotion anyway. It wasn't surprising – the bad feeling between Tank and Five-O was of long standing and encompassed everyone, including Steve.

"Was he gloating?" Steve asked, not attempting to hide his contempt for the officer.

"That's one way to put it," Chin agreed diplomatically.

"Can I hope that Kono took his call and is currently tearing Tank limb from limb?" Steve enquired with some gallows humour.

"Sadly not," Chin sighed. It was rather an enticing image and Kono certainly wouldn't be averse to that action. "It was me."

"Maybe next time." The moment of levity was over. Steve's thoughts were firmly back in the darkness with Danny. "What else did Tank report?"

"He said he looked for tracks but didn't find any."

Their eyes met in a moment of cynical disbelief. Neither of them believed that Tank had gone looking. That wasn't his style when it came to doing something that would help Five-O. If he wasn't such a good cop the rest of the time, his problems with Five-O would have had him booted from HPD. However, as a general rule, Tank was kept as far away from Five-O as possible.

"Do you want us to go out there and see what we can find, boss?" Kono asked, coming in at the end of the conversation.

"No," Steve replied, looking at his watch. "You two head on home and get some sleep. We can start afresh in the morning. Darkness is Danny's friend."

"We're staying if you are," Kono insisted.

"We can sleep in shifts," Chin agreed. "That way, if Danny phones, we're all here ready to help him."

"It's a done deal, boss," Kono added, seeing that McGarrett was about to object further. "We're staying!"

"All right," Steve agreed. It made him feel better that they were all watching Danny's back as best they could.

"I got some food coming," Chin added, knowing that the thought of food had not ever crossed Steve's mind. "After we eat, I'll take the first shift and you and Kono get some down time." Chin was not foolish enough to suggest that Steve sleep, but he knew if the boss could be persuaded to lie down on the couch, nature would probably take a hand in matters.

"Thank you," Steve murmured, unable to say what was in his heart.

"He's our kaikaina, too," Kono confided.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX

The Pacific was a warm ocean, but it felt quite cool that night. Wading through the rising tide with Melissa on the beach side of the water, Danny was beginning to really feel the strain of the day. Melissa was exhausted and had no compunction about accepting the supporting arm Danny offered. She was leaning more and more weight on him the further they went.

"Here we are," Danny told her as he guided her carefully onto a slab of lava that had led to the cave. He winced at the roughness of the rock under his bare feet. Melissa appeared to be too tired to notice. She plodded into the low cave that Danny knew lay above the high water level and sank thankfully onto the rocky floor a short distance up the lava tube. She tucked her purse under her head and curled up. She was asleep in moments. Slipping out of his suit jacket, Danny covered her with it. He took a few steps towards the mouth of the cave and sat down.

It was only when he stopped moving that he realised how exhausted he actually was. His limbs were trembling slightly as he rolled down his suit pant legs, which were wet to the knee. They clung clammily to his damp skin. Pulling his knees up, Danny wondered what they would do come morning. They needed food and water. Did he dare risk phoning Steve again? Had his boss found the source of the leak? Right now, Danny didn't have any answers. He folded his arms on his knees and rested his head on them, hoping that sleep would provide him with some insight.

But as the night hours ticked relentlessly past, sleep proved impossible to find.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kono was snoring comfortably in one of the white leather chairs in Steve's office. The boss himself was finally dozing on the couch. Chin nodded in satisfaction. At least they were getting some rest. He had spoken briefly with his wife once more before settling down to doing some more work on tracing Aloha Cleaning Services background. Earlier in the evening, he had spoken to the cleaning crew when they came into work. It wasn't surprising that none of them knew who owned the company. Their sole contact with the company had been their interviews at the offices in downtown Honolulu when they were hired. Since then, they occasionally saw a manager, but none of them had the least knowledge or interest in who owned the company.

Earlier in the day, Chin had interviewed everyone in the company offices – a secretary and the manager. The company offices were one small room in a building full of offices. Aloha Cleaning services were doing all right, but had no need of more administrative staff. The manager had been hired by an intermediate company and so had not met the owners and the names that he had as the owners were false. The secretary had been hired by the manager.

They were both surprised to learn about the new man on the Palace cleaning crew. Neither of them had known that someone was off and cover was required. Chin was certain that their surprise was genuine. He thanked them for their time and left.

In the meantime, they were still looking for Adam Sanderson and the man who had been sick, Pedro Hernandez. It seemed that Hernandez had a question mark over his right to live in the US and had gone into hiding. Chin had someone watching his house because he had a wife and several small children and the Oriental detective was sure that he would not remain away from them for long. Mrs Hernandez was a scary woman and Chin would not care to cross her. He was certain that she would have a means of locating her errant husband that the police could learn from.

Shortly after midnight, the phone rang and Chin's supposition was proved correct. Pedro had just returned home. Chin grinned. Now they might be getting somewhere.

Going into the big office, Chin quietly woke Kono and told the younger man where he was going. Kono willingly agreed to let McGarrett sleep and went into the outer office to man the phones. Chin slipped out and Kono stretched and rubbed his eyes before sitting down to read the notes that Chin had left. About two minutes after Chin left, Steve came into the office.

"Where's Chin?" he asked.

"Gone to check on Hernandez," Kono replied. "He turned up back at his home. Guess Chin was right about Mrs Hernandez."

"You should have woken me," Steve chided, but his heart wasn't in the rebuke.

"You need the sleep and better that you hear in case Danny phones," Kono replied, unperturbed by Steve's mild ire.

"I don't think he's going to phone tonight," Steve mused. "I think he's holed up somewhere for the night to rest and regroup. I hope he calls in tomorrow and then we can help him."

"You think we're gonna find a problem at HPD?" Kono asked.

"Yeah and I don't think it's going to be a bug, either," Steve agreed. "I think that when we find the person who bugged our offices, we'll find a connection to HPD and that connection will be a person." He scowled.

"I vote for Tank," Kono declared.

"He's on the list," Steve remarked darkly. Indeed, right now, Tank was top of the list. Sighing, Steve went to put on a fresh pot of coffee.


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came all too soon in some respects and not soon enough in others. A new day offered the chance to contact Steve and find out if a safe house was now in the picture, but Danny also had to face the fact that finding a way to get in contact with Steve was going to be a lot easier said than done.

Leaving Honolulu the previous evening had been the right move when their intended destination was Danny's friend's place which had running water and a phone, but now that they were on the beach with in transport, miles from town, it wasn't such a great situation. They had to get back to town and find somewhere to stay. As far as Danny could see that would involve walking and that was an unenviable thought given that he was barefoot and had not slept. Still, there was no other choice. There might be a bus, but Danny did not know when it was due and he could hardly have Melissa stand on the road waiting. That was a fast way for them both to end up dead, as was hitchhiking.

Looking at his charge, Danny saw Melissa was still deeply asleep. It was still early. Danny rose stiffly and went cautiously the cave mouth, his hand hovering near his gun, but there was no one in sight.

Allowing the sun's warmth to ease his tense muscles, Danny looked around. Further along the beach was a refreshment stand. It was closed, but Danny knew it was part of the answer to a couple of prayers. After some more scrutiny, he made his way carefully over to the stand and, reluctantly, broke in to it, taking several bottles of water and some day-old rolls. He left a $10 bill for the damage and food.

_Great_, he thought as he hurried back to the cave. _I've stolen a police car and now robbed a refreshment stand. When we turn up at court tomorrow, there'll be a warrant for my arrest waiting._ The wry humour did lift his mood slightly.

He hadn't been back for long before Melissa stirred. "Morning," he offered, his voice gravelly. "How are you feeling?"

"Dirty," Melissa replied. She looked around. "I guess a shower is out of the question?" It seemed she was willing to call a truce.

"There's always the sea," Danny suggested. He felt pretty bedraggled as well.

"Is that your way of telling me I won't see a shower today?" Melissa snapped, the momentary truce already at an end.

"I don't know for sure," Danny sighed, "but probably not." He braced himself for her anger.

For a moment, the girl's blue eyes were stormy, but then the moment passed and she sighed heavily and looked away. "I almost got us killed last night, didn't I?" she asked in a small voice.

Taken by surprise, Danny could only agree. "Um… yeah," he nodded. There was no gentle way to say that.

"I'm scared," Melissa admitted.

"I'm scared, too," Danny agreed. "I won't let anything happen to you, but you've got to trust me."

"I think I do trust you, Williams."

"My name is Danny," he reminded her with a smile.

"Danny," she echoed and after a moment she smiled back.

"Have something to eat," Danny suggested. "Then we're going hiking."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

Pedro Hernandez was not, despite his name, Mexican. There was not a problem with his residency either. When Pedro opened the house door, it was difficult to know who was more surprised – Pedro or Chin, for Chin knew Pedro very well and not by that name.

"Pedro?" Chin asked and sensed that the tall Polynesian man in front of him was preparing to bolt. "There are cops at the back door, man."

Their eyes locked for a long moment, then 'Pedro' sagged slightly. "You'd better come in," he suggested.

There was no sign of Mrs Hernandez in the home as Chin followed the man into the living room. "So what's with the Pedro Hernandez stuff, Kimo?" Chin asked.

"There was a Pedro Hernandez," Kimo confessed. "He ran off or died or something. I met Maria, his wife, and we… Well, you get the picture," he added defiantly. "When I was offered the job cleaning at the Five-O offices I took it. I mean, a man with two families needs all the money he can get, Mr Kelly."

Crossing his arms, Chin looked disgustedly at Kimo. "So you're living a double life?" he asked. "At home with wife number one some days and here on the others? Kimo, that's despicable."

"I know," Kimo nodded. He was a small time hustler, not very good at it and frequently picked up by the police. Now that Chin thought about it, he hadn't seen the other man's name on the HPD summaries for a while. If he was trying to support two families, small wonder he hadn't been picked up – he already had more than enough to keep him busy. "And then this man came to me and told me that I had to be sick for a few days and he would take my place." Kimo looked relieved to be getting it off his chest. "He threatened to tell my wife about Maria."

Shaking his head, Chin could see that this threat would have undone the hustler. Courage was not one of his virtues. "So you agreed."

"What choice did I have, Mr Kelly?" Kimo whimpered. "I didn't do anything wrong. I just stayed home for a couple of days."

It was true; they weren't looking for Kimo – or Pedro – in connection with anything but asking questions. However, the last thing they needed was a convicted criminal, even one as inept as Kimo, working in the offices. "Where did you meet this man who took your place?" Chin asked.

"He came to me outside the Palace one night after we finished cleaning. I never saw him before. He was a big haole, with light hair." Kimo was all but babbling to be as helpful as he could. "I never knew his name."

"Had you ever seen him before?"

"No, and I never seen him since."

"Your job at the Palace is pau," Chin told him. "Don't bother coming back and don't try to hide from us. We might want to ask you more questions."

"You're not going to tell my wife about Maria are you?" Kimo whimpered, clutching Chin's arm.

Shaking the hustler off, Chin gave him a dirty look. "Not if you continue to keep out of trouble," he agreed. "But one word to anyone about this and you'll be really sorry that you took up with Maria." He watched the taller man's face crumple and took his leave.


	7. Chapter 7

"Kimo?!" Disbelief coloured Steve's tones. He didn't know whether to laugh or explode in anger. In the end, he did neither. Running his hand down his face, he sighed heavily. "What a mess!"

"It'll be dawn soon," Kono observed. "Want me to go down to Dune beach and look for Danny?"

"Yes and take another look at that patrol car. It should still be sitting there. I asked that it was left." Steve longed to be out there hunting for Danny himself, but he had to get reports from Che and meet with the attorney general about Haliburton's trial. Steve just hoped that Che had not found bugs at the offices of other state officials. Walter Stuart would flip out if he learned he had been bugged! He was liable to flip out anyway when he learned that Danny was on the run with the State's star witness and that Five-O had no real idea where they actually were. "When you find them, bring them back here," Steve ordered.

"Sure, boss." Kono exuded a confidence that Steve was not entirely sure was justified, but he said nothing to deflate Kono's mood. Perhaps the sinking feeling in his gut was just due to lack of sleep, not a foresight of impending doom.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was easier walking back to the main beach because the tide was out, leaving a gleaming expanse of smooth wet sand. It was also utterly terrifying as there was nowhere for them to hide if their pursuers spotted them.

The sun beating down on his bare head exacerbated the vague headache Danny had been aware of since the early hours of the morning. He assumed it was cause by lack of sleep and stress and he could very cheerfully have lived without it. He didn't mention it to Melissa. There was no point in giving her something else to worry about. It didn't occur to him that she might have some painkillers in her over-sized purse.

As they ate, Danny had explained his thinking to Melissa. They really had no choice but to head to the road and follow it back to town. They could go so far along the coast, but there were quite a few places where that was impossible without climbing or swimming.

"I know that my boss is looking for us," Danny had assured her. "He won't give up."

"And when he finds us, I can have a shower?" Melissa asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief for a moment.

"Well, if you really think it's necessary…" Danny teased back.

There was one huge concern that Danny kept to himself. One of the men on the beach the previous night had been a cop. Danny had not recognised his voice, but he knew that he would know it again the moment he heard it. It disgusted him that a fellow officer was mixed up in all of this and it worried him deeply. Who could he trust amongst the ranks of the HPD now? Oh, there were some that he knew it could not be; men whose voices he would recognise anywhere; this man had not been one of them. It was the not knowing that made it so hard. What if, after all this was over and Melissa had testified, they still did not know this officer's identity? It didn't bear thinking about, and yet he could not pull his thoughts away from it.

"Danny?" It was clear from the tone that Melissa had said his name more than once. "Are you all right?"

"Sorry," he replied. "I was day-dreaming about a shower." He smiled to hide his misgivings.

"I need to take a break," Melissa told him apologetically.

"All right," Danny agreed easily, but her lack of stamina was another concern ladled on top of everything else. They hadn't walked more than a couple of miles. They had maybe another 10 miles or so to go to get back into Honolulu, never mind reach the Palace. He led Melissa between two dunes for shelter and handed her a bottle of water. She drank thirstily. Danny realised how hot it was and thought of discarding his suit jacket. It was an encumbrance, but hid his holstered gun. Like so many other things, he shelved that dilemma for later.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXX

There really was nothing to see in the squad car. Kono released it to the HPD men who had been sent to retrieve it. He watched them leave, collecting a friendly wave from one and a slightly suspicious frown from the other. He waited until he was alone before slipping off his shoes, socks and jacket and locking them in his car. Rolling up his pants legs, he set off onto the beach to see what he could find.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

The crumbling sands of the dunes were not generally conducive to finding tracks and Kono had to give a mental apology to Tank. Perhaps his report had been genuine, although Kono still tended to ascribe dark motives to the HPD man.

After an hour of diligent searching, Kono was certain that he had found a place where Danny and Melissa had been hiding for a period of time. It was a relief not to find any blood there. He had also found Danny's shoes and carried them loosely in his hand.

Making his way towards the ocean, Kono suddenly saw, with a burst of great joy, Danny and Melissa walking near the water's edge. He started to rush forward, but movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention and he saw two other men closing in on the unsuspecting pair and one of them had a gun!

"Danny! Get down!" Kono screamed, drawing his gun.

To his intense relief, Danny reacted instantly, yanking Melissa down, covering her with his own body and drawing his gun.

Unfortunately, the men reacted as well, one of them turning and firing at Kono, the other firing at Danny. Ducking, Kono shot back, not at the man shooting at him, but at the one shooting at Danny. The gunman stumbled and went down.

"Run!" Kono shouted, turning his attention to the other man. He was gratified to see Danny taking his advice. However, his momentary inattention cost him dearly. A bullet struck him in the shoulder and Kono found himself on the sand, pain blocking out all thoughts.

Dimly, the big Hawaiian was aware of gunfire nearby, but he was too busy remembering how to breathe to worry about it. He dipped in and out of consciousness for an indeterminate time, but eventually, he was sufficiently with it to realise that he was lying on the sand, bleeding. It was a struggle to get to his feet, but he made it, blinking dizzily until he felt able to move.

The beach was deserted. Kono hoped that meant Danny and Melissa had escaped, but it could also mean that they had been captured. Either way, there was nothing he could do for them. Disheartened, Kono began to stagger back to his care where he could radio for help.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX

"How is he, doc?" Steve asked as Doc Bergman emerged from the ER.

"He's going to be fine," Doc assured the worried man. "We're giving him some blood and I'll keep him overnight, but I expect Kono will make a full recovery." The bullet had gone right through, causing quite a bit of bleeding but no major damage. Kono had been lucky.

"Thank you. May I speak with him?"

"Yes, but go easy. He's worn out." Doc led the way into the room where Kono lay beneath a thin sheet. An IV dropped fluids and blood into the back of his left hand and his right shoulder was swathed in bandages, his arm immobilised across his chest. His eyes were closed.

"Kono?" Steve called softly, reluctant to waken the injured man, but needed to know what happened.

The detective's eyes opened readily. "Steve? Did you find da kaikaina?"

"No," Steve replied, his throat closing.

"I saw him and da wahine," Kono explained. "I was gonna shout to him, but I saw those haole about to shoot at them. I called a warning. I shot one of them, but the other got me. Da kaikaina – he was gone when I could stand again."

"We haven't heard anything," Steve reported. "But no news is good news."

"I think I heard shooting," Kono mumbled. "I know I hit one of them."

"We'll look for them," Steve promised. "Now you rest. Doc says you can get out of here in the morning. Do you need anything?"

"A snack would be good," Kono mumbled and Steve smiled. The big man was going to be all right.


	8. Chapter 8

Kono's shout had undoubtedly saved their lives. Danny had dragged Melissa down, protecting her with his own body and saw, to his horror, Kono going down. Danny shot at the one gunman who remained standing, but he knew he hadn't hit him. His shots had come close enough to make the man duck and Danny hauled Melissa up and pushed her to start running, firing sporadically over his shoulder to keep the other man at bay.

They reached the dunes and Danny took the lead, dragging Melissa by the hand as she panted and gasped for breath as they wove around the sand hills. She almost went down at one point and Danny just yanked her back onto her feet, not pausing to ask if she was all right, just intent on running, running, always running.

Scrubby brush signalled that they were reaching the end of the beach and Danny angled away from the road for the moment, deeper into the undergrowth where they would be able to hide. He pushed Melissa through a bush to the ground and dived after her, turning to still the shaking foliage with his hands and peering through it as best he could, his gun cocked and ready. Any shots he fired now had to count, because his ammo was almost done.

He never knew how long they crouched in their tiny, protective hollow. Danny guessed it was well over an hour. There had been no sign of the gunmen, but he was reluctant to move too quickly; when the hunter was hunted, he knew all too well that moving when it seemed that it was safe to do so was often the downfall of the prey.

He was heart-sick as well. He hated to leave a fellow officer in distress, but even more so when it was his friend! Was Kono all right? Danny would never forgive himself if the big man was badly hurt – or worse. While every cop put his life on the line each day, it was never easy to accept an injury or death. Nobody deserved to die violently, but even less so someone like Kono, who had a heart as generous as he was big.

It was an unvoiced complaint from Melissa that finally persuaded him that they had to move. She stretched minutely, easing her cramped limbs and Danny realised that he was feeling pretty cramped, too. Putting a finger to his lips, he eased through the bush and cautiously straightened up.

It took him a few minutes to ascertain that they were alone. There were families on the beach now and that meant they were safe from random gunfire. He holstered his weapon and reached back into the bush. "You can come out now," he said.

"Are we safe now?" Melissa asked and Danny could see the tear stains on her face. He cursed himself for being so preoccupied that he hadn't noticed she was crying.

"For the moment," Danny agreed. He glanced at his watch. It was almost noon! They had been hiding for a lot longer than he thought. Had he fallen asleep? He didn't think so. His eyes were gritty and his body ached with fatigue. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Melissa pushed her hair back from her face and stretched thankfully. "Who was that man? You called him Kono."

"I did?" Danny had no recollection of shouting his friend's name at all, but he was quite willing to believe that he had. "He's one of my colleagues from Five-O."

"Do you think he's still alive?" Melissa asked and Danny had to turn away, blinking unwanted moisture from his eyes. Melissa had hit right at the heart of the matter and it caught Danny by surprise. The horribly spoiled rich kid from the day before had become someone different overnight, but Danny wondered if the transformation would last.

"Yes," he said firmly, but he knew he had hesitated too long. Melissa gave him a sympathetic look, but didn't say anything else. "We need to get moving," he sighed finally.

"Where are we going?" Melissa asked and he could hear the weariness in her tone.

"I don't know," he admitted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X

"There were definitely no bugs planted at HPD," Che stated with finality.

That was disturbing. "You're sure?" Steve asked, but he trusted his man and knew that if Che said there were no bugs, there were no bugs.

"Positive," Che replied. "I did find one on the phone line to Mr Stuart's phone, but his office was clear. The Governor's office, residence and phones were all clear."

"Then we've got a leak after all," Steve said, looking at Chin, who looked equally disturbed. "But who?"

"It could be anyone," Chin agreed. "Do you want to set a trap?"

"Until we actually know where Danno is, there's little point," Steve countered. "They all know Kono was shot and that Danno and Melissa's whereabouts are unknown. If we were to suddenly announce that we had found them, the person in question would know that we would have them locked down tight until tomorrow. The most logical place for a hit would be at the courthouse." Steve rose and paced across the office. "An attempted hit there would work, but only if Danno knew about it before hand and right now, we can't guarantee that we will be able to find him before tomorrow." He fixed Chin with a hard glare that the detective knew was not really aimed at him. "Find out who is going to be on duty at the courthouse tomorrow and start looking into them. Don't tell Chief Dann why you want to know – give him some waffle."

"I can waffle," Chin agreed. He could spin a yarn with the best of them, or even stonewall when required. Being an inscrutable Chinaman had its advantages. He rose and left.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Che asked, rising also.

"Are you any good at magic tricks?" Steve asked ruefully. "Conjuring Danno out of thin air would be the most helpful thing you could do."

"Sorry," Che sighed. "That kind of magic is beyond my limited capabilities." He took his leave and Steve resumed pacing.

_Where the hell are you, Danno?_


	9. Chapter 9

It was a long, slow, painful walk back to the city. They didn't talk, except to request rest periods and it was always Melissa who asked. Danny was so sunk in misery and the sense of his own shortcomings and failures that he would have kept on plodding onwards until he dropped in his tracks. Their route shadowed the road, but Danny instinctively kept away from it. The men hunting for Melissa had come too close too many times and he was taking no more chances.

There were several places that Danny knew of that they might have chanced going to, but he was afraid to bring murder and mayhem to the doors of the people who ran the small guest houses. He could have chanced going to any of the alleys in the Hotel Street district, where he was bound to find someone who owed him a favour, but he would also find people who would do anything to do him harm. He could have gone to HPD and begged to be locked up for the night, but knowing that someone at HPD was willing to work for Haliburton dissuaded him from that course of action.

It was the late afternoon of another perfect day. Danny was only too aware of how dirty and bedraggled they both were and knew that they would stand out in the crowds. However, he was unwilling to go into the city while it was still light and he hid Melissa in some undergrowth while he went and bought them hotdogs and cold drinks from a street vendor. He was not sure he was hungry, but knew he had to eat. Melissa looked askance at the hotdog, but wolfed it down, leaving Danny in no doubts that his charge was not suffering from the same loss of appetite as he was.

"What now?" Melissa asked when she had finished. She looked hopeful, but Danny knew her hopes were about to be dashed.

"We wait here and rest for a while," he informed her. "I know where we can spend the night and we should be safe."

"Should be?" The tone was sharp. "I take it that means that you aren't going to use that payphone over there and talk to your boss."

"No, I'm not," Danny agreed. He wanted nothing more than to do just that, but he was afraid that Steve would send someone from HPD and if it was the wrong someone… It didn't bear thinking about.

"I don't want to spend another night sleeping rough!" Melissa snapped. She was more tired and dirty than she had ever been in her whole life and she had made an effort not to complain all day, but she had reached the end of her tether and to be told they would not contact the boss that Danny seemed to hold in such high regard was the last straw. "I want to go home! I want to spend the night somewhere with a bed and four walls!"

"I know you do," Danny sighed. "But it's too dangerous!"

"Too dangerous? And staying out here is safer is it? What is wrong with you? Why aren't you calling the boss you seem to think is so great? Is he the one trying to kill you? Is he? Or are you just so caught up in being macho that you can't admit you're out of your depth." She glared at him, panting. "Well, that's it, Williams! I'm done with you! I'm going to book into the first hotel I find and get myself a decent meal, a shower and some clean clothes. You can go to hell for all I care!" She rose to her feet.

"Oh no you don't!" Danny snapped, grabbing her arm. "You're staying right here, like it or not!"

Enraged, she swung at him with her purse and he barely managed to duck the lethal projectile. He grabbed her other arm, gaining control of the bag, too, and forced her to sit down. To show her good breeding Melissa, deprived of all other weapons, spat in his face and kicked his shins.

Biting back the curses that sprang to mind, Danny kept his grip on one of her arms and wiped the offending spittle from his face without comment. "There is someone in HPD who is working for your stepfather," Danny told her coldly. "He was on the beach last night. I don't know who he is. I think there was a leak at Five-O and I don't know if it was a person or a bug or maybe both. We don't know if the men who shot Kono were there by chance or had followed him, but either way, they seem to be able to find us when we have contact with Five-O and the police. I don't want to risk your life like that."

Silenced, Melissa looked shamefaced at her actions of a few moments before. She tugged on her arm until Danny let go and she wiped away the tears that streaked down her face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know you're trying to keep me alive and I do appreciate it; really I do. I'm just so tired and so scared."

"I know," Danny sighed. He knew exactly. He was tired and scared and worried about Kono. "That's why we need to rest here for a while before we go to the place we're going to spend the night."

"Is it safe?" Melissa asked and wished that she hadn't. Danny wouldn't take her somewhere that he didn't consider safe.

"Yes, of course it is," he replied. "I have vowed to keep you safe," he reminded the girl. "I mean to keep that vow, whatever the cost."

As Melissa settled back and dozed off to sleep, Danny just hoped that the cost had not already become too high to bear.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX

There was nothing to be found about any of the men who were on duty at the courthouse the following morning. They were all good cops with solid records; nobody had suddenly come into unexplained money or changed their behaviour or was doing anything in the least suspicious.

It had been a long shot, McGarrett knew, but one he had had to take. He had even asked Chin to check on Tank, but the officer had come back squeaky clean. They were back to square one again, with the whole of the HPD force now considered suspects. That left them something like 2000 officers to check and there was simply no time to do so. Steve considered asking Chief Dann to reassign those officers and get in a different bunch, but that was not fair. Supplying extra officers for a big case like this stretched the limits of man-power and budget as it was. Suddenly demanding everything be changed because there might be a rogue cop was too much to ask. If they had had proof of someone's wrong doing, that would be different.

"We'll have to call it a night," Steve sighed at last, after he and Chin had batted ideas around for more hours than either of them cared to mention. The empty cartons of take-out food littered the desk and Chin slowly began to tidy up.

"Where do you think Danny is?" Chin asked.

"If I knew that, then I'd be there right now," Steve replied ruefully. "He's gone to ground somewhere." Absently helping with the clearing up, Steve tried to think. "Somewhere we wouldn't expect; not a hotel or anywhere like that. No, he's more likely to be at a beach shack somewhere or a camp site if he managed to get hold of a tent…"

"Or sleeping in a back alley somewhere," Chin suggested, not entirely joking.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Steve agreed. "I'm worried though. We haven't heard from him since Kono saw them this morning." Regular phone calls to the hospital assured Steve that his Hawaiian officer was still doing fine and would be fit for release in the morning.

"Maybe Danny thought the leak was a person, not a bug," Chin mused, his hands stopping work.

At once, McGarrett's sharp gaze fastened on Chin's face. "Yes," he murmured. "Yes, of course! Why didn't I think of that! He thinks that it's someone here who is the leak, when we know that the place was bugged…" Steve's thoughts continued at high speed. "Of course he wouldn't take the risk of calling in. But then, he would call HPD, wouldn't he?"

"Not if he thought there might be a problem," Chin countered. "After all, if it was a person who was a leak here, he might be worried that they took the call from HPD. Or…" Chin suddenly looked slightly sick. "Or maybe he thinks there's a problem at HPD, too."

"How, though?" Steve demanded. "How could he come to that conclusion?"

The bleak thought was one they both shared and neither was in any rush to voice it. Chin finally took the plunge. "One of the men trying to kill them was an HPD officer."

"Someone Danno recognised?" Steve mused.

"Maybe," Chin allowed. "Maybe all he needed to see was the uniform."

Silence stretched for a long time between the two men. Finally, Chin began to collect trash again. Steve sighed heavily and helped him dispose of the last of it. "Wherever he is, I hope he is safe," Steve murmured at last. "There's nothing more we can do here, Chin. We need to be fresh for the morning." He switched off the desk lamp and followed Chin out of the office, putting off the lights as they went.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX

From their hiding place across the street, in the very grounds of the courthouse, Dan watched as the lights went out in the Palace and wished with all his might that it had been safe for them to go there.


	10. Chapter 10

The trial was due to start at 9am sharp. McGarrett planned to be at the courthouse no later than 8.30am. He could only hope that Danny and Melissa would be there, too. If they weren't… It was a thought Steve didn't want to entertain.

The press was gathered outside. Steve hated that the press were allowed to crowd the steps of the courthouse, stopping anyone and everyone they thought might have even a small part in this trial. Haliburton was big news, whether innocent or guilty. Steve parked his car and braced himself for the verbal onslaught.

"Mr McGarrett! Over here." The cacophony of calls was enough to deafen him. Steve resolutely pushed his way through the reporters, not offering a single word. It was a good thing they were used to this treatment by him, because otherwise he might raise suspicions that something was not quite right.

From their position in the bushes, Danny watched Steve clear the pack of reporters and head up the steps. It was no or never and a better chance was not going to come. "Ready?" he asked Melissa and the girl nodded. Danny took her hand and they burst from hiding, running at full speed across the parking lot. "Steve!" Danny shouted and for a moment, he thought the clamouring of the press had swallowed his call. His back seemed to be very wide and he could practically feel a bead being drawn on it. "Steve!"

Miraculously, Steve had heard him. Danny saw his boss turning towards him, a warm smile dawning on his face and relief stamped his features. Steve hurried down the steps, reaching out to take Melissa into his own grasp and he quickly drew her up into the safety of the courthouse, leaving Danny to follow in his wake.

It was done, Danny thought as he stumbled up the last few steps. All the worrying and the sleepless nights were all worthwhile because he had done what he had set out to do and protected this most important witness. There was nothing left for him to do; it was all up to Melissa now. He realised he had stopped walking just inside the imposing building and he watched as Steve led Melissa over to the clerk of the court and she was whisked away to a secure room. Steve followed a few steps behind, keeping them in view until they were inside. Danny could feel the tension draining out of him.

Suddenly, he found himself mashed against the wall and his arms were twisted behind him and cuffs snapped shut tightly around his wrists. "What…?" he gasped and felt his gun taken from his holster.

"You're under arrest for stealing a patrol car, buddy," snarled an unfamiliar voice. "Somebody tried to tell me you're a cop, but I know better than that!"

"I am a cop!" Danny protested, but he was already being hustled from the building. _This is ridiculous,_ he thought bemusedly. He was being arrested by some rookie who didn't believe he was a cop. The world had gone mad.

"I'll take it from here, patrolman," another voice interposed and a shiver ran down Danny's spine. He had only heard this voice once before, but it was one he would never forget and Danny knew he was in big trouble.

"Uh, sure, lieutenant," the rookie stuttered. He let go of Danny's arm and the other man took it in an iron grip.

Turning his head, Danny looked at the lieutenant and recognised one of the plain clothes detectives from HPD. He knew the man's face; they had worked together on part of the Haliburton case – a part that had not borne any fruit. Now, Danny suspected he knew why; this man was in Haliburton's pocket. "Donovan?" he growled, dredging the name from his memory. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"You heard the rookie, Williams," Donovan smiled. "You're under arrest. By the time McGarrett realises you're gone, it'll be too late. Perhaps I'll let him know where to find your body. Haliburton isn't going down; Melissa will never reach that court room alive."

"You're too late," Danny retorted. "She's already in the witness room."

That stopped Donovan in his tracks. He yanked Danny round and looked into his face, searching for the truth. He found it only too easily and frowned darkly. "It's still too late for you, Williams," he sneered. "Haliburton will want to make an example of you! I'll be back in court to testify on his behalf before your body is cold."

"Steve!" Danny yelled at the top of his lungs as he struggled to stop Donovan pulling him away. For once, the media were oblivious to the drama being played out, as Haliburton was arriving in his chauffeur-driven limousine. Nobody had seen Danny's 'arrest'. "Steve!" Danny yelled again, suddenly feeling like a little kid shouting for his big brother to come and save him.

It seemed incredible when Steve emerged from the courthouse at that very moment. Danny knew that there was no way Steve could have heard him calling. Those shouts had been sheer desperation; any attention would have helped him out. However, Steve had wanted to talk to Danny; to check that his friend was unhurt;, to find out what he had gone through to deliver their witness to the courthouse on time and to find Danny suddenly not standing where he had been left had been enough to trigger panic. Now, he came out just in time to hear Danny's voice. He could not hear what was said, but he knew that voice better than he knew his own. He turned his head and saw Danny being pulled away by that HPD lieutenant… What was his name?

It didn't matter what his name was. Steve suddenly put it all together, just as Danny had done moments before. Donovan! That was it. He was quite new to HPD, having transferred from somewhere on the mainland. He seemed competent enough, but Steve now remembered that Danny hadn't spoken very highly of him when they had been working that line of enquiry on the Haliburton case. That line had petered out, but Steve now wondered if the lieutenant had helped it to disappear. Ignoring Haliburton, Steve drew his gun and hurried towards Danny. Behind him, he heard Chin shout his name.

"Donovan! Hold it!" Steve shouted.

The lieutenant twisted round and saw Steve. He reacted at once, swinging the off-balance Danny around until he was a shield between Donovan and Steve. Donovan drew his gun and placed it against Danny's head with a very deliberate movement. "Try it, McGarrett!" Donovan taunted.

"Put the gun down," Steve ordered. Behind him, Chin quickly marshalled the HPD officers to keep the media at bay. The last thing they really needed was to have this played out live on TV, but that looked like it was going to happen, so they would keep the media as far back as they could manage. If there was shooting, the media were far too close. Chin dreaded the thought of any casualties, but especially media casualties.

"I don't think so," replied the detective. He was now dragging Danny slowly backwards towards his unmarked car. If he managed to get into with Danny, it would be a disaster.

Furious at this turn of developments, Steve tightened his grip on his gun. "You have nowhere to run," Steve reminded him. "This is an island and I can have it secured so tightly that a gnat would not get out without me knowing about it."

"Sure, snap your fingers," taunted the other man. "We all know you've only got one weak spot and that's this guy." He shook Danny. "The Golden Boy; McGarrett's do-no-wrong second in command. I've got to give him a little credit. I didn't think he would manage to keep the girl safe for so long. It doesn't matter though. I know that Haliburton is going down and I've got the perfect solution for us all. Melissa won't testify and Haliburton won't go to jail and Five-O will be obliterated."

"A bomb?" Danny gasped. The courthouse was always buzzing with people. A bomb in there would not only destroy the historic building, but would kill and injure dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent people. "You're supposed to be a cop!" Danny snarled. "You gave an oath to serve and protect!"

"Oh shut up!" Donovan snapped, provoked despite himself. "You're just so bloody perfect, aren't you, Danny Boy?"

Two nights of no sleep, not enough food and water and now used as a shield while a rogue cop talked calmly of blowing up the courthouse was really the last straw for Danny's temper. "You scum!" he hissed. Ignoring the gun, Danny turned his head and tried to head-butt Donovan.

It was a good try, but his aim was off and his tiredness made him unusually clumsy. Donovan dodged easily enough, but those few seconds allowed Steve to move closer. Donovan was aware of the lead detective drawing nearer and he tried to re-establish his hold on Danny and use him as a shield again, but it was too late for that. Danny resisted and then Steve was on top of them both like a line backer. Donovan went down, Steve on top of him, as Danny tumbled to the ground.

As many men had found to their cost, an angry Steve McGarrett was a force to be reckoned with. He was doubly – maybe triply – angry with this man. Not only had he betrayed the HPD, he had been working for the bad guys and he had tried to hurt Danny. It would have been impossible for Steve to say which was the biggest betrayal, but the most recent was the one that had the big detective angriest at the moment.

Despite the urge to pound Donovan into dust, Steve was still aware that there were half a dozen or more TV cameras pointing in his direction. He jerked the gun from Donovan's hand and flipped the man over. Panting, he waited for Chin to arrive at his side and allowed his associate to handcuff the rogue detective. "Book him!" he ordered. "Conspiracy, attempted murder and attempted kidnapping to be going on with."

Pushing off the ground, Steve looked around for Danny and found him lying limply nearby. His heart immediately jumped into his throat and he threw himself down beside his friend, fearing the worst. There hadn't been a gunshot – had there? "Danno!"

The blue eyes opened to reveal a deep weariness. For the first time, Steve realised how tired Danny looked, with dark circles under his eyes. He was grimy, his clothes dirty and dishevelled and he was barefoot. "I'm all right, Steve," Danny assured him, his voice hoarse. "Just get these cuffs off me. Unless I really am under arrest for stealing a patrol car?" The joke was weak, but under the circumstances, it was pretty good.

"That wasn't stealing, that was borrowing," Steve countered. He reached for his cuff keys and freed Danny's hands. He helped the weary younger man to sit up. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Nothing that a hot shower, good food and some sleep won't fix," Danny promised. "Melissa… she's safe? What about the bomb threat?" Danny tried to get to his feet, but his body had had enough. The adrenalin that had carried him so far had gone, leaving him distressingly weak.

"Duke is evacuating the courthouse," Chin offered as he wrestled Donovan away. "Bomb squad is on the way."

"I could go…" Danny started, but Steve shook his head.

"You've done enough, aikane," Steve told him. "You're exhausted. Don't worry; Donovan isn't going to win. We'll get everyone out. I'm going to get an ambulance and get you over to the hospital to get checked out." At those words, Danny blanched and Steve worried that Danny had been hurt after all. "What?"

"Kono," Danny whispered. "Is he…?"

"He's fine," Steve assured the younger man, understanding. "He'll get out of the hospital today."

"That's wonderful," Danny breathed. A partial weight was lifted from his shoulders. The rest of it would not leave until he had spoken to Kono and gained the other man's forgiveness.

"We need to move away from the building, Steve," Chin advised, coming over. He had left Donovan in the custody of Tank and had been surprised to find that, for once, the sergeant was not bad-mouthing Five-O. He had found a new target: Donovan.

"Help me with Danno," Steve requested. Between them, they got the younger man to his feet and helped him over to the shelter of a couple of cars. There was going to be a delay on the requested ambulance, which Danny strongly protested that he did not need, because of the traffic being diverted away from the Capitol District and so they had front row seats as the bomb squad entered the building.

While they waited, Danny told Steve and Chin about his two days with Melissa. "She is all right, isn't she?" he demanded again.

"She's fine," Steve asserted. Haliburton had surrendered himself into police custody for the duration of the trial and was currently locked up across the road in the Palace cells. Melissa's escort had taken her to the Palace, being both the closest building and the most secure. The young lady had been delighted to learn that not only was all her luggage there, but there was a shower she could use.

"You were right, Danny," she had told him as she walked past. "You said when we found your boss we would get a shower."

"I'm always right," Danny replied. He made an effort not to look as weak and worn as he now felt, but by the look on Melissa's face, he did not succeed. He smiled at her enthusiasm. It seemed that the prospect of hot water had made Melissa feel better and then he remembered that she had slept both nights and he had not. That made a difference. "Give him hell," he added quietly and saw Melissa's face sober.

"I will," she promised. "I won't ever forget what you've done for me, Danny Williams. I won't let you down."

"Good girl," Danny smiled and thought how far she had come in such a short time. The arrogant spoiled girl from 48 hours was now a thoughtful young woman. She had learned an awful lot. He hoped she would always remember those lessons.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 

It didn't take long for the bomb squad to discover that Donovan had been bluffing. If he had hoped that Haliburton would be able to make a break for it while the court was vacated, he was sadly mistaken. Seeing Melissa alive and well, Haliburton knew the gig was up. By the time the court was reconvened, Haliburton had asked his lawyer to make him a deal. However, it was too late. The trial went ahead and after the jury heard about the harrowing ordeal Melissa and Danny had endured, as well as Melissa's other evidence, there was no doubt at all that the jury would convict him.

The icing on the cake for Steve was that Danny was, as he had claimed, all right. Tired, dehydrated and filthy beyond measure, he was sound asleep at the hospital when Steve went there that evening to tell him what had happened. Over the course of the afternoon, Haliburton had told HPD where the hit men were that he had sent after Melissa. HPD went after them and found only one of them alive. The one that Kono had shot had died of his injuries.

Kono himself had been released from the hospital around about the time that Danny had been admitted. The big man had taken himself up to visit his exhausted colleague as soon as he had heard and the last of the weight from Danny's shoulders had disappeared. Kono wanted to apologise for not doing more to help Danny when he found them.

Now, Steve sat down beside Danny's bed. The younger man would not waken that evening he knew, yet there was nowhere else Steve wanted to be right then. He had to be able to look at his friend. Those two days when he didn't know if Danny was alive or dead had taken their toll on Steve and the rest of Five-O. Kono had gone home to rest. Chin had gone home to his family. Steve had come here.

"You did it, Danno," Steve told the slumbering detective. "Thanks to your determination and bravery, this island is a better place. Mahalo, my aikane."

If this had been a book or a film, Danny would have opened his eyes at that point and smiled at Steve. However, this was real life and Danny did not so much as twitch. He continued to sleep, oblivious to his visitor.

Smiling, Steve patted his arm and left. There would be plenty of time to tell him about the trial tomorrow.

PAU


End file.
